This is an old book (1931) about life in cattle country out west. It had a story line that kept me interested. I read it in a few days because I was curious how it would end. There was interesting info involving State land and how people got to use it.
The lord of lonely valley, Raynor Lanier, was a mixture of intelligence and naivete. His foreman, Tom Harmon seemed to be more savvy than he was. Everyone appeared to be taking care of, looking out for, Raynor, as though he couldn't be responsible to take care of himself. But he was a good guy so I liked him. Tom Harmon was a fatherly figure with plenty of creativity and affection, the kind of person you could lean on and trust. Milo Landrum was the villain of the story and played his role to the hilt.
Of course, as in all westerns, the good guy wins. I enjoyed reading how.
I have to agree with most of what you wrote, B. I was surprised at how interested I was in the story line. It was also set in an interesting time period- after most cowboy novels are set and yet still during a time of "wild west" behavior. All mixed with cars and independent women. Once I got it from the library (sorry for the delay!), I read it fairly quickly.
Following the armed occupation of a wildlife preserve in Oregon, the discussion of public lands and how they were used was particularly interesting. I found it interesting that the argument Raynor made for chasing people off of public land because it was "his family's" echoed what was heard by the occupiers in Oregon. A fascinating juxtaposition of past and present.
I wasn't a big fan of Raynor. He wasn't a bad guy, at all, but I found him annoying. I liked Tom Harmon. He was a bit heavy-handed in arranging everyone else's affairs, but at least he was practical and consistent.
I did find the sexism and racism that was throughout to be off-putting as well. I know it was just a relic of the time period the book was written, but it still irks me. While I like old books, sometimes it is a love-hate relationship because of this.
2 comments:
This is an old book (1931) about life in cattle country out west. It had a story line that kept me interested. I read it in a few days because I was curious how it would end. There was interesting info involving State land and how people got to use it.
The lord of lonely valley, Raynor Lanier, was a mixture of intelligence and naivete. His foreman, Tom Harmon seemed to be more savvy than he was. Everyone appeared to be taking care of, looking out for, Raynor, as though he couldn't be responsible to take care of himself. But he was a good guy so I liked him. Tom Harmon was a fatherly figure with plenty of creativity and affection, the kind of person you could lean on and trust. Milo Landrum was the villain of the story and played his role to the hilt.
Of course, as in all westerns, the good guy wins. I enjoyed reading how.
I have to agree with most of what you wrote, B. I was surprised at how interested I was in the story line. It was also set in an interesting time period- after most cowboy novels are set and yet still during a time of "wild west" behavior. All mixed with cars and independent women. Once I got it from the library (sorry for the delay!), I read it fairly quickly.
Following the armed occupation of a wildlife preserve in Oregon, the discussion of public lands and how they were used was particularly interesting. I found it interesting that the argument Raynor made for chasing people off of public land because it was "his family's" echoed what was heard by the occupiers in Oregon. A fascinating juxtaposition of past and present.
I wasn't a big fan of Raynor. He wasn't a bad guy, at all, but I found him annoying. I liked Tom Harmon. He was a bit heavy-handed in arranging everyone else's affairs, but at least he was practical and consistent.
I did find the sexism and racism that was throughout to be off-putting as well. I know it was just a relic of the time period the book was written, but it still irks me. While I like old books, sometimes it is a love-hate relationship because of this.
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